Toxins, Allergens, & Autism

Toxins, Allergens, & Autism Toxic environments can have profound effects upon the behavior, learning ability, and overall health of our children… By Doris Rapp, MD Autism rates in America are increasing practically by the minute. In 2002, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimated that autism affected about one in 150 children.  By 2012, the CDC estimate had increased to one in 88.  Now, according to the latest revision of the estimate recently released, autism affects one in 50 children. This is a 300 percent increase in 11 years.  In addition to autism, other diagnoses such as ADHD are on the rise and in 2011, the CDC reported that one in six children has a developmental disability. As stunning as these numbers are, surprisingly little has been done to find out the reasons behind them or what can be done to prevent a diagnosis such as autism or ADHD.  Often, the answers are there, but the right questions aren’t being asked.  Do you ever wonder why a child learns well one day and not the next? Are you perplexed by sudden, totally inexplicable changes in a child’s gait, speech, writing, behavior, and activity? These things can often be explained by taking a look at the child’s surroundings. Honing in on what he’s been touching, smelling, and eating will yield some tell-tale clues. Toxic Exposures Increasingly, researchers and parents believe that exposures to toxins and/or allergens are major contributors to the development of autism and many other diagnoses.  Dust, pollen, chemicals, and foods can cause illness in any area of the body or brain. There are some simple ways to help many people pinpoint the exact causes of their illnesses. Once those causes are known and addressed, many children—and adults—will begin to feel better.  Additionally, it is often possible to treat the affected individuals without prescription drugs which can have serious side effects. Heavy metal poisoning from mercury and other toxic metals is another probable factor in the development of disease. Some vaccines—including most flu shots—still contain mercury in the form of the preservative thimerosal.  Additionally, the bodies of many mothers become mercury-laden through amalgam dental fillings or simply from breathing contaminated air or eating certain foods that contain trace amounts of mercury, lead, and arsenic.  (Some artificial colors contain these toxins and must be avoided.). One study in the journal Pediatrics, Aug. 2008, found that 85% of neonatal infants who were given two or more vaccines at once developed evidence of inflammation in their blood.  Within 48 hours after the vaccines, given alone or together, 16% of all infants had episodes when they stopped breathing. Those who received multiple vaccines also developed hemorrhages in their brains, upset stomachs, or reflux. Much of the past and present research has emphasized genetic predilection and defects in intermediate metabolism rather than looking at toxic exposures including vaccines. One must surely ask who paid for studies which state vaccines are not a factor. In those studies stating there is no relationship, were the infants given one vaccine at a time rather than administering multiple shots as they are currently? As pediatricians, we are advised to give children as many as 48 doses of vaccines before the age of six.  Many of these vaccines are given at the same time even though the safety and long term effects of giving multiple vaccines in combination have not been adequately researched. To continue reading, click here. Dr. Rapp is a board-certified environmental medical specialist and pediatric allergist who practiced traditional allergy medicine for 18 years.  After learning about environmental medicine in 1975, Dr. Rapp began to incorporate the principles of environmental medicine into her pediatric allergy practice.  A past President of the American Academy of Environmental Medicine, Dr. Rapp is also the author 11 books including the bestsellers Is this Your Child? and Is This Your Child's World? She has also produced numerous educational videotapes and audiotapes for the public, educators and physicians.  Dr. Rapp believes it is imperative that both the public and physicians recognize that multiple body areas and a wide range of symptoms can be produced in allergic patients who have unrecognized and atypical forms of allergies. http://us4.campaign-archive2.com/?u=c04d3c58251781ccd11d3c5b1&id=9861f26146